Exploiting Synergetic Effects of Graphene Oxide and a Silver-Based Metal–Organic Framework To Enhance Antifouling and Anti-Biofouling Properties of Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes

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    Mostafa Dadashi Firouzjaei, Ahmad Arabi Shamsabadi, Sadegh Aghapour Aktij, S. Fatemeh Seyedpour, Mohammad Sharifian Gh., Ahmad Rahimpour, Milad Rabbani Esfahani, Mathias Ulbricht, Masoud Soroush

 Abstract

Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes still suffer from fouling and biofouling. In this work, by incorporating a graphene oxide (GO)–silver-based metal–organic framework (Ag-MOF) into the TFC selective layer, we synthesized a thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane that has notably improved anti-biofouling and antifouling properties. The TFN membrane has a more negative surface charge, higher hydrophilicity, and higher water permeability compared with the TFC membrane. Fluorescence imaging revealed that the GO–Ag-MOF TFN membrane kills Escherichia (E.) coli more than the Ag-MOF TFN, GO TFN, and pristine TFC membranes by 16, 30, and 92%, respectively. Forward osmosis experiments with E. coli and sodium alginate suspensions showed that the GO–Ag-MOF TFN membrane by far has the lowest water flux reduction among the four membranes, proving the exceptional anti-biofouling and antifouling properties of the GO–Ag-MOF TFN membrane.

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                             Type                         Experimental

                             Publication           ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

                             Date                          November 2018

                             Links                       URL

                    

 

 Tags

silver, antifouling, membrane, forward osmosis, nanocomposite, chemical, 

chemistry, E. coli, water, metal-organic framework, bacteria

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